First, a thank you for Cannonshot's posting and sharing gps Tracs. I read this posting 3 times so far. I am sure another 10 before I commit to CDR. Some of the single tracks and rocky terrain might be more than my skills.

I am a novice. I haven't done a trip this long or off-road. Most I've done is 1,800 miles. So, go gentle. I was doing some preliminary research on a trip to Colorado from Virginia when I came across the Great Continental Divide Trail / Route.

Living on the east coast, my Zumo 350 and BaseCamp are my trusted tools for navigation. Can anyone share their perspective if this trip and associated Tracs are better suited for a handheld Garmin gps like Oregon 450 (which I have) or will Zumo 350LM support this data?

My understanding is the Zumo 350 support 1,000 waypoints total, 100 rides / trace, and maximum of 30 Waypoints per route. My workaround for waypoints is using Shaping Points.

Tentatively my plan is to trailer my F650GS Twin from Virginia to CO. The challenge for me is figuring where to start the trip from without having to back track all the way to my car and trailer. One consideration is to do a shorter north/south loop. Any thoughts? Best time of year for weather?

There are only a few spots on the CDR that will likely tax your riding skills and/or that bike. They're very well marked on Cannonshot and Countdown's GPS tracks. The primary exception can be most of the NM section. If it has been dry, and the roads recently graded, it can be a piece of cake. If it is very wet, it can feel like most of the state has turned into snotty wet concrete.

The big difference for us the second time around was mindset. For some reason, the first time I was determined to ride every inch of the trail the way Big Dog mapped it out. The second time, our motto was if in doubt, go around it. It's a long MFing ride - no harm in skipping a section to be safe, and no honor in digging your bike out of a mud pit for 4 hours.

As to GPS, I've used a Zumo 450 and 550 just fine, both with tracks and routes (can be a religion debate). I'd say as long as your unit will hold the tracks, it'll work fine. Routes can be a bonus depending on your religion - I find them helpful but not mandatory. BUT, I bring a laptop because things change, and at least once you'll find yourself in a motel, looking at some heinous weather system that you want to go around, and it is nice to be able to stick a new plan on your GPS unit on the fly. I'm sure you could do without this, but I find it super helpful.

Time of year, IMO, something close to the last week of July/first week of August to start ideally.

As to how to start and finish, it depends on your budget. I rend a Uhaul truck in SLC, go to the north end of the route, dump the truck, ride to the other end, and then pick up another Uhaul in or around Silver City. Call it $500 per Uhaul and I don't need to swap out tires on the bike for the whole trip.

As for prioritizing sections of the trip, MT and ID are amazing, as is everything between ID and Pinedale WY. Pinedale to the Colorado border sucks IMO. All of the Colorado section is amazing, though you'll see the most people there (lot of ladies in Subarus). If the weather is good, NM is really amazing. If it rains, it is awful - their mud is just not from this earth.